


The High Road

by paralysisoftheheart



Category: Fifth Harmony (Band), camren
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Camren - Freeform, F/F, camren au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-29
Updated: 2015-09-25
Packaged: 2018-02-15 07:25:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 17,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2220609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paralysisoftheheart/pseuds/paralysisoftheheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Protecting Camila is Lauren's only reason to live and not give up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. After The Fall

She stirred from her sleep after hearing some weird noises. It’s been sort of like a routine for her. Sometimes she doesn’t even hear anything, she just woke up when she felt weird. She walked to the smaller girl and stared at her for mere seconds.

“Camz,” Lauren called. She slowly rocked the girl. Camila turned her body the opposite way and mumbled few words. Lauren smiled at this and stroked her arm. She called her name once again, louder this time.

“Hey, we have to go now. Wake up.” Camila opened her eyes slowly and rubbed her eyes with her knuckles, yawning. Camila looked up at Lauren and gave her a small tired smile.

“Hey.” Her voice cracked. At hearing her voice, she looked disappointed.

“Throat still hurts?” Lauren asked and Camila nodded.

“Maybe we can find something.” She told the other girl, looking around at the room.

“I miss my voice.” Lauren gave her another small smile. I miss them too she thought but didn't say it out loud. She looked out the window and noticed that the sun is setting up and they really have to go or else they’re going to be in big trouble. She sighed and stood up, fixing her hair.

“Here.” Camila stood up next to her, handing her the jacket that’s been keeping her warm since the first night.

Lauren shook her head. “No, keep it. It’s probably going to be a bit chilly today.” Camila nodded, not bothering to offer Lauren’s jacket back. She needed the jacket anyway. She put it back on, rubbing the sleeves.

Lauren picked up the M16 and handed Camila the small gun. Camila still hesitated holding a gun after all these weeks, she’ll probably never get used to it. She doesn't really want to get used to it, it’s one of the thing that kept her assured that none of this killing thing is normal. 

A loud moaned was heard outside the room. Rachel turned her head around to Lauren who already targeted the gun at the door. Camila ran behind her, gun in hand. Her whole body was shaking. Lauren used her other hand to put Camila’s hand on her waist. Lauren had learned that, that action calmed Camila down few weeks ago.

“I’m scared. What if this is it?” Camila whispered after hearing the voice getting closer.

“It’s not. I won’t let anything happen to you. Trust me,” She assured, eyes still on the door. Of course Camila believed her but things have been getting really hard and it’s getting harder and harder every day.

Right at that moment, the door was being slammed for few times. Camila tighten her grip on Lauren’s waist and prayed to God to protect them. She closed her eyes, tears running down her face. The door cracked open and Lauren shot a bullet right at its heart. It fell down, blood all over the place. Lauren took time to make sure nothing followed it. She walked forward and examined the body. She kicked the body few times and it started to move slowly. She shot another bullet right at its head and it stopped moving. She let out a sigh.

Fucking zombies.


	2. Vegas Skies

Neither of them knew what happened but they were together when it occurred. Lauren and Camila were talking backstage when they heard loud scream and voices asked for help. Lauren took the lead to protect Camila right from the start. She took the bodyguards guns she found, handing one to Camila just in case something happened to her. Camila refused but Lauren forced her. 

She exchanged her gun to a M16 she found at one street. It probably belonged to one of the victim. She also stole some ammo and even stole the ammo belt. She however didn’t give them to Camila. She doesn’t want to scare her off.

“Lauren?” 

“Hmm?” She didn’t look up at the girl, she’s too busy loading up her M16. Camila sat down next to her, wrapping her arms around her knees. She’s biting her lips while staring at her worn out shoes. 

“Have you eaten yet?” she asked, sliding the canned of chicken soup in front of the busy girl. 

“You go eat first, I have to load up this gun.” 

“Will you eat with me?” Camila asked with low voice. 

“I have to load this up. I don’t want to waste time. Eat first, okay?” she replied, ignoring the smaller girl. Camila sat closer to her, their skins touching. 

“I don’t want to eat alone. Eat with me, please?” She whispered, biting the corner of her bottom lip. 

Lauren put down the gun, her eyes full of anger and frustration. Her knuckles were clenching. “Damn it, Camila. Don’t you see what I’m trying to do here? I’m trying to keep us both safe! I’m trying to protect us from dying. Or worse… turning. I don’t have time to eat with you like a fucking family!” With that she stood up and walked away from the girl to get some air. 

She hates thinking about what might have happened. She hates thinking of the future because she doesn't have any more time to think of the future because right now she only gets to think of the present. There’s no more time to dream because zombies doesn't give a fuck about your dreams. She sighed and walked towards the bag full of supplies. She took out a canned of mushroom soup, Camila’s favorite. She turned her gaze to Camila. The girl was playing with her shoe lace and biting her lips, forcing herself not to cry. Lauren made sure to lock the door and keep her gun beside her. 

“I’m sorry.” She whispered. She sat down next to Camila, shoulders touching. “I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I was just—I don’t know. Let’s eat, okay? I have your favorite.” She stabbed the can with her pocket knife that she hid in her boots and handed the soup to Camila. 

“We need to get you a pair of new shoes. Those have worn out, might not be so great for running. We’ll find a mall. Maybe we can even take a shower and change our clothes.” She said, looking down at herself. They've been wearing the same thing for weeks and the sleeves of her shirts were torn out to clean their wounds. A bath sounds like heaven right now but she’d settle for a shower. It’s faster. 

Camila turned her head to Lauren and gave her a weak smile. She then laid her head on the girl’s shoulder, staring at the rusty wall in front of them. Lauren kissed Camila’s head and closed her eyes. Camila took her hand and intertwined their fingers, circling her thumb on Lauren’s palm.  
The canned of soups left untouched for the day as they've both lost their appetite.


	3. Big Bad World

Lauren woke up with the sound of sobbing. It wasn't loud. She turned her body to Camila. The little girl was sweating and she was mumbling something although her eyes were shut closed. Lauren stroked her cheek and rocked her, calling her name. When she was met with those brown eyes, she smiled and kissed the bridge of the girl’s nose. She pulled the girl closer to her, resting Camila’s head on her chest. She hummed few songs to calm the girl's down.

“Lauren?” 

“Hm?”

“What if one of us didn’t survive?” 

Lauren looked stunned. “Don’t say that. Don’t think about that.” 

“But—“ Lauren shook her head. Camila nodded.

“We’ll find them, okay? I promise.” Her voice cracked with that last sentence. Even she couldn’t convince herself and she expects Camila to believe her? Camila never questioned her promises though because Lauren always kept her promise. Regardless if it was before all of this happened, she still believes that Lauren will keep her promises. 

“What do you think happened to them?”

Lauren clenched her jaw. She wished that she had the answer to every question that was thrown to her but she doesn't. Not when she can’t do further research like she always did before. She doesn't want to give wrong answers or false hope. So instead she said, “I don’t like to think about it.” At least that was an honest answer and not some made up shits.

“What do you think happened to… Austin?” 

Lauren felt her chest tighten and she had to breathe with her mouth for few moments. She just had to ask, huh. Lauren knew that the boy is going to be brought up. She just never really thought of an answer. She didn't like to think about him. She hated thinking about Camila with him. It was sickening because Camila deserved better. She deserved a responsible and matured man over a boy who took pictures with other girls and put cute captions about them, which got her thinking, what if Camila ended up with him instead of her during all this? 

She wouldn't survive. Maybe for couple of days, but not three weeks. He wouldn't know how to find food supplies or how to clean wounds. He probably doesn't even know how to hold a gun. They’d both either die or worse, got turned. She doesn't give any flying fuck about the boy but she loves Camila and she’d do anything to keep her safe and she’s glad Camila was with her instead of that boy. 

“We had an argument before… all of this. What if—“ Camila added.

“I’m sure he’s okay.” She finally answered. She might hate him but she wouldn't wish his life to end this way, she wouldn't wish it upon anyone. So she hoped that somewhere out there, the boy is looking for Camila too because she knew that’s what Camila wanted. Plus, he made her happy and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know all of the chapters are short but it's sort of like introduction. Thank you if you're still reading this. I appreciate it. Also, all of the chapter titles are from songs. You should listen to them.


	4. From Finner

Lauren leaned her ear against the wall, the gun hanging on her left thigh. She told Camila to follow her lead and to point the gun at the door just in case anyone, anything appeared. Lauren looked outside the room with the small hole she created with her knife. 

“I think we’re clear.” She whispered, still not moving from where she was standing. Camila let out a heavy sighed and put down the gun at the small table beside the door. 

“Have you loaded yours?” Lauren asked, eyeing Camila’s gun. 

Camila shook her head slowly. “I—I don’t know how.” Lauren clenched her jaw, biting her lips to avoid raising her voice at the girl. She taught her plenty of times on how to load a gun, yet Camila doesn't seem to understand any of it. That or she refused to understand. Probably the latter. 

“It’s okay. I’ll do it for you.” Lauren answered. She walked towards the door and opened it slowly without causing much sounds. She cringed when she heard a creak. 

“We’ll find a new car, hopefully with full gas this time and we’ll go from there, alright? We’ll find a drug store and a mall. Is that okay with you?” Camila nodded, holding the back of Lauren’s shirt. Lauren turned her head around and gave the girl a small smile which was returned. She pulled out a bar of chocolate and handed it to Camila. 

“For energy.” 

Lauren went through different emotions every day for the last couple of weeks. She thought she was going insane. Camila of course noticed this. She watched her like a hawk. Sometimes she was quiet, sometimes she was angry, sometimes she smiled a lot, sometimes she shed few tears. Camila once asked her if she wanted to talk only to get scold at. Starting from that day whenever Lauren had bad day, Camila would just sat beside her and stroked her hands.

“Stand beside me.” Lauren ordered and Camila compelled not even bothering to ask why. Once she was standing beside Lauren, the older girl intertwined their fingers and kept walking. 

“Do you think about them?” 

“Fuck, of course I do!” She snapped and tightened her fingers. Camila looked down and nodded.

“Sorry.” She whispered and biting the corner of her lip.

“No. I’m sorry for snapping.” She stopped her movement and turned to Camila. She looked straight into the girl’s eyes and stroked the bridge of her nose. “I don’t know what’s wrong with my emotions lately.” Camila smiled and took out the chocolate bar Lauren just handed to her. 

“Share?” Lauren let out a few giggles and nodded. Camila took the first bite and shoved the chocolate bar in front of Lauren’s face. The older girl took a small bite and licked her lips causing Camila to stare at them. 

“Looks like there’s a drug store right there?” She pointed her finger behind Camila. “Come on.” She dragged the girl, running. 

When they were standing in front of the store Lauren asked Camila to stay outside to cover her. The store was a mess, a sign that someone has been here before them. Lauren prayed that there are still medicines for them or at least enough to cure Camila’s throat. 

She went far back and studied the floor and the shelves. Painkiller, Ibuprofen, antidepressant, antibiotics, cool fever, bandages, chapsticks, Tylenol. She shoved them inside her backpack and walked towards the candy aisle to take some chocolates. As she was looking around she heard a loud bump and a screamed. 

“Lauren! Lauren, please help me!” 

She ran outside and took out her gun. Camila was being straddled by a zombie and she was trying to kick it. Lauren kicked the zombie’s face but the zombie was still new and still strong so it put up a fight. It pushed Lauren causing her to fell down on her face. The bloods on her forehead were covering her eyes and nose. “Lauren!” she heard. She immediately stood up and pulled the trigger right at the zombie’s head. She shot it for the second time at the same spot and ran to Camila. 

“Are you okay?” Did he—it—“ Camila shook her head fast and wrapping her arms around the taller girl’s. Lauren closed her eyes and stroked Camila’s back and kissed the side of her head. Camila pulled away and stared at the bloods. She untied the bandana around her calf and wiped the bloods before wrapping them around Lauren’s head. She chuckled and wiped the little blood on Lauren’s nose with her pointer finger. 

“What’s so funny about my bloody face, huh?” 

“You look like those Magcon boys.” Camila answered and Lauren looked disgusted. “No, please. Not them. I look way cooler, right?” She smirked and raised her left eyebrow. 

“Millions times cooler.” 

“Good.” 

“Lauren?” 

“Hm?”

“I’m glad I’m with you during this. I’m glad I have you. I don’t know what I’d do if—“

“Shhh… I’m glad you’re with me too, Camz. Don’t think about that, alright? I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. I’ll keep fighting until the end.” With that she wrapped her arm around younger girl’s shoulder and continued their journey.


	5. Bloom

Camila’s breathing was loud and she was looking like one of the zombie, Lauren thought. It’s a hot day and there were dusts everywhere. She failed to find a car with fuel so they have to keep walking and they stumbled across zombies every God damn seconds. She stopped walking because Camila was left behind. 

“Did you take the pills?” Camila nodded, walking slowly towards Lauren. She was still smiling. 

“Let me carry you but you have to carry this bag, okay?” She handed her backpack to Camila and hunched down. “it’s okay, Camz. I’m fine.” She assured when she saw the girl hesitated. When she felt Camila's body on top of hers she slowly stood up and continued walking. Camila wrapped her arms around the girl’s neck and laid her head on the shoulder. Lauren took the girl's legs and wrapped them around her waist, gripping them. 

“Thank you.” She whispered. Every inch of hair on Lauren’s body stood up when the hot breath met her shoulder. She swallowed her saliva and nodded.

“Camila?” 

“Yes?” 

“Why don’t you sing anymore?” 

“I don’t know. I don’t have any reasons to sing. I sing because it made me happy but there’s nothing happy about this. Also, what if the zombies hate my singing and come to kill me?” She answered and Lauren shook her head, laughing.

“Nobody hates your singing.” Lauren felt Camila’s mouth curled up and she smiled at that. 

“I miss your singing.” She whispered. “Will you sing for me?” 

Camila looked stunned. “Okay.” She replied.

“In the morning when I wake, and the sun is coming through.” 

Lauren smiled and kept her eyes at the scene in front of her. The dusts and ashes were floating everywhere. There were dead bodies with their guts outside their bodies and there were zombies with holes on theirs. Guns and bullets were on the floor like they were just another trash. It was terrible but Lauren got used to it. It’s been way too long. 

“Oh, the world it is sleeping, but my world is you.” 

She remembered listening to the song with Camila. They were on their bus tour and Camila wanted to show her new music, that was their thing: sharing new music with each others. They’d shared the earphones and let the music took over their world as they read books or simply stared at the other girls talking. This is terrifying. Lauren thought. The scene in front of her doesn't seem as bad as they used to feel. She usually felt empty but as of right now she felt happy and calm. The girl’s voiced calmed her down. She found herself walking with more energy. 

“Can I be close to you?” She finished the song with few hums and Lauren would clap if her hands weren't on Camila’s thighs so instead she stroked her thumbs over the girl’s skin. 

Maybe walking wasn't so bad. 

“There’s a car there.” Camila pointed out. Lauren woke up from her daydream and looked at where Camila was pointed at. 

“That is one huge truck.” 

She gripped Camila’s thighs harder and ran towards the car, not bothering to look around her. Camila was hiding her face trying to avoid the dusts from getting inside her eyes. When Lauren slowed her paced she looked back up. The truck was dirty with mud and there were few dents. They were both praying that it wasn't locked.

It wasn't. 

Lauren smiled widen and she put the girl down. “Get inside now. Don’t turn on the A/C though. We couldn't afford to lose any more fuels left in the truck.” Camila nodded and walked to the passenger’s door. She froze when she was met with two zombies who were staring at her with bloods and guts coming out of their mouths. She felt sick, her legs shaken and she gripped the handle. She tried to call for Lauren but she chocked.

“Camila, get in.” Lauren called after she successfully turned on the engine using the wires. 

“Camila?” she turned her head to the passenger side and she felt her stomach dropped. “Shit.” She immediately got out of the truck ran behind it. She quietly loaded her gun and pointed it at one of the zombie but her eyes were on the other one. 

The zombies moved closer to Camila and Lauren made up her mind. She took the zombie by the shoulder, shot it and pushed it behind her. She went in for the second zombie, pushed it to the ground and shot it at the head three times. “Lauren!” She looked over her shoulder and saw that the other zombie was walking towards her. She tried loading her gun but it ran out of bullets. 

“Fuck. No! Not now.” 

The zombie gripped her arms and she fell flat on her back. She chocked the zombie and used her other hand to reach for the knife as the zombie’s face got closer to her.  
Camila took put the gun from the back pack and kicked the zombie by its head. She pointed her gun at it and closed her eyes, pulling the trigger. She sent few more shots and slowly opened her eyes. Her hands were shaking and she was having hard time breathing. 

Lauren stood up coughing and rubbing her eyes. She walked towards the younger girl, took her gun and pushed her inside the truck. She ran to the driver’s seat, sat down and locked the car. She looked at the back doors and made sure they were locked as well. She glanced at Camila who was still shaking and staring at the dashboard. She wrapped her arms around her and kissed her all over her face.

“Hey, it’s okay. Thank you. Thank you, Camz. You saved me.” She pressed one last kiss at the side of her mouth, not thinking straight. 

“You—you could have died, Lauren! I—“ Lauren embraced her once again. “Yeah but I didn't. I didn't, Camila. I’m okay, you’re okay. We’re okay.” Camila tugged at Lauren’s shirt and cried. 

Lauren had her arm around Camila the whole journey as the girl slept soundly with her head resting on Lauren’s shoulder.


	6. Safe and Sound

Camila was still sleeping by the time they arrived at the gas station. Lauren looked around to make sure that they were alone. There were few cars and few dead bodies but other that’s about it. She glanced at Camila and found herself smiling. She shook her head and moved closer to Camila who was hugging herself. It was pretty cold outside and the windows were half opened. Lauren’s jacket didn't do any justice anymore, it was tearing apart. 

She rubbed her palms together and placed them on Camila’s cheeks. The younger girl stirred and she made small noises. It made Lauren’s heart raced. She stared at Camila’s mouth and found herself swallowing her saliva and licking her lips. 

“I feel so safe when I’m with you.” She whispered. Camila slowly opened her eyes and rubbed her eyes. She yawned and looked around her. “Hey.” She greeted Lauren and Lauren greeted back with a small smile. She slowly turned her neck around to release the pain. 

“I’m going to get the fuel for the truck, alright? You take my gun.” 

“What about you? You’re the one getting the fuel, you need the gun. I’ll be fine. I’ll lock the car.” 

“I’m taking your gun with me. You can shoot them from afar to protect me. My gun is more accurate. I've loaded it. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” She gripped Camila’s hand few more times before letting go and stepped out of the truck. 

A paper was attached to the pump.

‘Help yourself. Thank Mr. Jones in your prayer. Stay safe.’ 

She took the pump out and shoved it into the tank. She gripped the trigger and listened closely to the sound of the fuel filling the tank. 

“Please be enough to fill the whole tank.” She murmured couple of times.

Camila stared at the gun lying on the dashboard in front of her. She tried to touch it but her hands were too shaky. 

“Let’s just hope there are no zombies around. Calm down, self.” 

When she heard the click, she put the pump back in its place and ran to her seat to immediately lock the door. She smiled when she saw that the gas was enough to fill the tank full. “Roll up your window. Leave a bit space for some air.” She ordered and Camila did as told without any question. 

“Go seat at the backseat.” Lauren ordered again. Camila looked at her, eyebrow raised. 

“Just go, I’ll follow you. I just need to push the seat so we can sleep comfortably. I’m tired.” 

Lauren pushed the seats forwards and climbed on top of Camila. She sensed how nervous Camila was and she tried her hardest not to smile. She failed, of course. 

“Scoot over. I’ll hold you. It’s cold.” Camila nodded and turned her body facing the front seats. Lauren wrapped her arm around Camila and hid her face inside the girl’s neck. That way she kept both of them warm. At least that’s what she told herself. Their legs tangled but neither girls move an inch.

“We’re never going to find them, huh?” Camila whispered, playing with Lauren’s fingers.

“How many times do I need to tell you that we will?” she snapped. “Look at me, Camz.” 

When she was met with those brown eyes, she looked deep into them and stroked Camila’s cheek. Her eyes were shining in the dark. Lauren wanted so much to kiss her.  
“We will find them, okay? I will give my all to find them. That is my promise to you, remember? We just have to stay together because I couldn't do this without you. We can’t give up. Not when we've survived all those mess. I know you’re tired, I am too but it gets better. I will carry you around whenever your legs are killing you or whenever you feel like giving up, I will support you. And you will do the same to me, right? Even if it all came crashing down, as long as you’re around I’ll be safe and sound. We’ll be safe and sound. Okay?” 

Stunned by the girl’s words, Camila nodded. 

“Sleep.” Lauren said. Camila didn't turn her body back around, she kept her forehead glued to Lauren’s, their nose brushing. Lauren’s glad that it was dark or else the blush on her cheeks would definitely be visible.

“Goodnight, Lauren.” She whispered, yawning loudly. 

Lauren chuckled. “Goodnight, Camila.” 

Once Camila’s eyes were closed and a small snored were heard, Lauren pressed her lips softly on Camila’s. She let them lingered for few seconds before pulling away. 

“I think I'm falling in love with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do listen to Safe and Sound by Tonight Alive. It's an amazing song. Also, thank you for the reading. I appreciate the comment and the kudos!


	7. Take My Hand

Lauren woke up first knowing that they really have to go find somewhere to stay, somewhere warm and at least a little cozier. Plus, if they kept sleeping in the truck they’re doomed because most gas stations were out of fuel. She woke up with Camila’s head on her chest, sleeping peacefully with her arms wrapped around her waist. Lauren kissed Camila’s forehead and slowly slipped out of the girl’s embrace and jumped to the driver seat to continue her journey to find a mall like she promised Camila.

The sound of the engine woke Camila up.

“We’re leaving? What time is it?” she rubbed her eyes, sitting up.

“I don’t know. But I’m pretty sure it’s early. We have to find a mall now that it’s bright. There’s a chocolate bar inside the bag, go ahead and eat it.”

Camila nodded her head but didn’t move. She just kept staring at the front seat. Lauren studied her face on the rear view mirror. She felt like a failure because she wanted Camila to trust her life with her. As long as Lauren was alive, she would protect Camila and she wouldn’t let anything harm her. She sighed and continued driving with heavy heart.

“L—lauren.” Camila called her. She snapped from her thoughts and glanced at the girl. 

“Yeah?” 

“Look.” She pointed out and Lauren looked at where the finger was pointing. She stopped the truck immediately. She gulped and closed her eyes for few seconds. “Get in front.” She ordered. Camila nodded and moved to the passenger seat. Lauren’s eyes were still on the group of zombies that were walking towards them. 

“We’re can’t shoot them all. We don’t have enough ammo to do that. I can’t take the chances.” Camila slowly turned to her and bit her lips. She shed few tears but she bit her lips harder to avoid any noises. This is it, she thought. As she was praying, she felt Lauren getting closer to her and a hand on her shoulder.

“What—what are you doing?” 

“We’ll run them over. This truck is massive, I’m pretty sure one hit is enough. If it’s not then we’ll just do it again. We can use your gun to shoot the remaining.” She answered while buckling Camila’s seatbelt. 

“Take my hand.” 

Camila immediately intertwined their fingers and gripped them. Lauren took a deep breath and she gave Camila a small smile before focusing on the zombies. She reversed the truck a little bit.

“Wait, Lauren.” Camila used her pointer finger and thumb to turn the older girl’s head to face her. Lauren looked deep inside Camila’s eyes and raised her eyebrow.

“I believe in you. We can do this.” She said and she tightened her grip and hid her face between Lauren’s shoulder and neck. Lauren kissed her head and mumbled a thank you. 

“Ready?” Camila nodded and Lauren pressed the gas pedal and sat her eyes on the zombies. Her adrenaline was pumping because of the speed and the air blowing them. Camila’s hair was on Lauren’s mouth and nose but Lauren kept going. She ran over the group of zombies and she reversed the truck to make sure she finished them. The truck was bumping, probably because of the bodies but she continued pressing the gas. She looked at the rear view mirror and stared at the bodies lying on the road to make sure they no longer move.

She let out a heavy breath.

“Are we done?” Camila slowly opened her eyes. Both of their palms were sweating but neither of them pulled away. 

“Yeah.” Lauren answered. “I think so.” she added. 

Camila rubbed Lauren’s neck with her other hand to calm her down. Both of them looking at each other and smiling. Camila’s eyes were different, Lauren noticed. It’s darker but slightly shining. Her eyes traveled down to Lauren’s lips and she licked her own lips.

She moved closer to Lauren, bodies touching. Lauren’s heart beat faster and she felt herself trembling.

She opened her mouth to say something but a thump interrupted them. Lauren snapped her head towards the front window. A bloody body was climbing the truck and making noises. Camila took the gun out from the dashboard and shot it right at its head. The window cracked with a bullet sized hole but Lauren didn't seem to care. She looked proud even. 

“Nice shot.” Lauren complimented her. 

“I learned from the best.” 

Lauren smirked and continued driving like nothing happened, like she didn't just ran over group of zombies and she erased the moment they shared few minutes ago. They were caught up in the moment and that was it. Camila would never kiss her. The girl’s heart after all belongs to someone else. She wanted to rub the pain on her chest but she decided against it. 

She pulled out her fingers from the Camila's and sat her eyes on the road. Silence once again surrounded them.


	8. She Is Love

Lauren drove for hours until she noticed that they've been in the exact road before. They performed at a mall not too far away. It was a huge mall, so huge that Lauren got lost when she went to the restroom, twice. Camila stayed awake for Lauren because she knew the girl was tired and sleepy. She attempted to start a conversation but Lauren’s replies were shorts so she kept her mouth shut. 

When the mall appeared in front of them, they both let out a sigh. There were few cars. One of them looked like it’s been bombed. Is that a bad thing or a good thing? Lauren thought. She took out her gun from the dashboard and the bag from the backseat. Camila took the lighter she found under the seat with her before following Lauren’s step. 

“I remember this mall.” Camila spoke out, running to stand beside Lauren. “Do you remember this mall?” Lauren nodded, took Camila’s hand and walked towards the front door. The mall looked like what an abandon mall would look like. The automatic glass door was halfway opened with few bullets hole. There was a headless body lying on top of the shrub beside the mall. Lauren reloaded whatever ammo she had left and took Camila’s gun from her hand. Camila held part of Lauren’s shirt to stay close to her. 

Lauren turned around as she heard the car alarm went off. Of course there was a zombie walking towards them. She didn't hesitate; she just pulled the trigger off and shot it twice on its head. Camila wanted to praise Lauren for her skill but the older girl kept walking towards the mall without even taking final glance to the zombie she just killed.  
Lauren tried to push the door but she failed. She let Camila walked in first, keeping her hand on the girl’s back. Once Lauren went in, Camila followed closely behind once she made sure nothing was following them. 

The inside of the mall was quite dark. If it wasn't for the huge skylight on top of the roof, they probably wouldn't be able to see anything. They stepped on few bodies which caused Camila to shriek and Lauren to give her a look. 

They stepped inside a clothing store that was messy and disorganized. They had to touch few items to realize that they've entered a kid’s store. Lauren let out a small laugh and Camila gave her a smile. 

They passed through another kid’s store until they found a small shop. The girls went in, hoping to find something. The store had few glowing lights that Lauren assumed was from the clothing. She crashed into shelves and the items fell down on the floor causing a loud thump. 

“Shoes?” She asked, particularly to herself. 

“I think this is Vans.” Camila answered, picking up the items on the floor. 

“Lucky you, then. Let’s find your size.” Lauren pulled her closer, wrapping her arm around the girl’s waist and resting her palm on the hip. 

Just as they were about to walk in the storeroom, a bright light startled them. The light was directly pointed at their faces, blinding them. Camila immediately put up her hands to hide her face even though she already had her eyes closed. Lauren tried her hardest to stay put but the light was too strong and her eyes were on fire. 

“Stop! Put it away, please!” She yelled. Her legs felt weak and she had to grip the shelf. She put up one arm to cover her eyes but it didn’t work, they were blurry. She slowly pointed the gun to the light with no idea where to target.

“Don’t shoot!” a voice ordered. 

“The lights!” 

Camila tightened the grip on Lauren’s arm and Lauren took it as a hint. She covered the girl’s eyes with her palm. Camila fell to the floor, bringing Lauren with her. 

“Camila!” 

They heard footsteps stepping closer to them but Lauren’s focus was on Camila. She kept stroking the girl’s face and hiding it from the light. 

“Babe, turn off the light!” They heard a female voice and the light went off. When Lauren saw a glimpse of the opponent’s shoe she quickly tackled the person to the ground, pointing the gun at the person’s forehead. 

“Fuck, don’t shoot. I thought you were corpses! I’m sorry! Don’t shoot. I’m human, I swear!” 

Lauren slowly lowered the gun, clenching her jaw. She took a deep breath before hitting the person right in her jaw with the gun. 

The girl yelled out in pain, pushing Lauren off her. “What the fuck was that for!” 

“I fucking told you to stop. Twice.” She replied, standing up and helping the person by offering her hand. She then quickly checked on Camila. 

“I’m sorry. Like you, I was scared shitless too.” 

“Are you okay, babe?” Another voice came closer to them.

Lauren shook her head and slowly rubbed her temples. Her eyes were still blurry and teary. 

“Are you guys looking for clothes?” 

Camila nodded, only to realize that they were in darkness. “Yeah.” She answered. 

“I’m Nicole, human. I have someone with me, also human, named Hayley. Let me help you find what you guys are looking for. I have a flashlight and don’t worry; it’s nowhere as bright as the light I just used.” 

“I’m Lauren and I have my friend with me. Her name’s Camila.” 

“Nice to meet you guys. It’s been a while since we actually met humans.” A softer voice spoke out. Lauren assumed that was Hayley.

“What’s with the killer light?” Lauren asked, following the light to the storeroom.

“It killed the corpses faster.” 

“Where did you learn that?”

“Years of gaming, internet surfing and just being a zombie apocalypse junkie in general. Okay this is the storeroom. They still have plenty of shoes. Most of the humans we met here were older so I don’t think they’re really into Vans. Now, what are the sizes you guys are looking for?”

The other couple turned around, facing them. The one holding the flashlight was taller and she has a tattoo on her arm. The other girl was holding the taller girl’s hand and Lauren noticed that she also has the same tattoo on her arm. Not only that, they’re both wearing a matching rings. Lauren bit her lips and slowly glanced at Camila who was already looking for her shoes. 

They moved to a bookstore after looking for their new clothes. It was the coziest place to sleep because of the carpet according to Nicole. They decided to shower the next day because it was too late and Camila kept yawning.

Lauren stayed awake to guard with Nicole even though the girl told her to rest. She was tired but she refused to trust strangers who almost blinded her and Camila. She guessed Camila was feeling the same too because she was also awake, talking to Hayley. Nicole was playing with a book, turning the pages, throwing it and catching it with one hand. They’re both sitting and leaning on a bookshelf. Lauren kept her eyes on Camila with a gun beside her and a book in her hand. 

‘Introduction to Flight’

Camila laughed when she saw what Lauren chose to read over thousands of books but then again she chose a book about how to survive zombie apocalypse. 

“What’s your deal?” A whispered broke the silence. 

“What do you mean?”

“Why do you keep looking at her? Don’t tell me you’re turning and that you’re hungry because I might have to kill you.” Nicole replied, not bothering to look at Lauren. 

“I’m just looking after her.” 

Nicole kept quiet for few seconds and put the book down, eyes still on the girls in front of them. She stared at Hayley and smiled when the girl have her a wink and a smile. She then turned her gaze to Camila. The girl was too busy reading her book using Hayley’s flashlight.

“You’re in love with her.” 

Lauren turned to look at Nicole.

“What?”

“You’re in love with her. Don’t even try to deny it. I can tell by the way you look at her. Don’t even deny it. I know because that’s the look I give Hayley every day since the first day I met her.” 

“So you guys are a couple. I was wondering because of the tattoos and the rings.”

“Were.” Nicole spoke out after few seconds of silence.

“Huh?” 

“We were a couple.”

“Oh.” 

“You and Camila, are you guys together?”

“No. She—she has a boyfriend.”

Nicole smiled a little and shook her head. 

“She doesn't know you’re in love with her then?”

Lauren shook her head and took a deep breath, looking down at the carpet. 

“She’s in love with him. I can’t tell her about what I feel because I promise her I’ll bring her to him.” 

“That’s a shitty promise. What if he’s dead? You should tell her. I know it’s scary. There’s nothing to worry about. Maybe it’ll make you feel better, one less burden to carry. I’ve been there before. Hayley had a boyfriend too but when I told her about my feeling, turned out it was mutual.”

“Yeah and you guys broke up. Guess it didn't really work out.”

“This is not about me and Hayley. We’re… complicated.” Nicole threw the book beside her and few books on the shelf. Hayley turned to look at Nicole only to meet with set of rolling eyes.

“I can’t afford to lose her now. I can’t—I can’t have her not look at me whenever we’re in danger because she doesn't feel the same and I can’t afford her being awkward around me or I can’t listen to her rejecting me because she’s in love with another person. I need her close. I rather keep this feeling to myself.”

“Well fuck, dude. You need to tell her or it’ll eat you alive. What if she felt the same? What if the boyfriend’s alive and somehow they reconnect and she has to choose him because you’re being a fucking coward. Do you want to face yet another heartbreak? She looks at you the same way. She loves you. I can tell. You look at her like she is the definition of love, don’t let go of that.”

She is love, Lauren thought. Everything about her is love. Camila is the definition of love for her. The way the girl’s sing, the way she smiled crookedly when she’s being a smartass, the way her face scrunched when she’s in deep thoughts and sleep even the way she bit her nail sometimes is love. She is the definition of love in Lauren’s dictionary but Lauren is simply just a friend. 

So instead of saying anything back to Nicole, Lauren chose to focus back on reading her book.


	9. Tell Her You Love Her

There’s something soothing about watching Camila sleeping. Lauren doesn't want to sound creepy but every time she laid eyes on Camila while the girl was sleeping, she felt like everything’s normal. Camila completely looked different after the apocalypse happened. She tried to hide it by smiling but it wasn't genuine. She was scared. Of course she was, Lauren’s scared too.

Lauren took out her pocket knife from her boot and started juggling it. Nicole was sitting beside her, staring out the windows. 

“What happened between you and Hayley?” Lauren spoke up after hours. 

“You guys clearly still love each other so why ended it?” she added, setting the knife back in her boot.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” 

“Yeah? Well I do. You asked me so many shits so it’s my time now. Why did you guys break up?” she replied, louder this time.

Lauren turned her eyes to the girl beside her. Nicole had her eyes closed. 

“We were never officially together.” 

Lauren was about to say something but the girl cut her off.

“We… slept together and we acted like a couple but officially we were never together. We’re best friends and I guess you could call it friends with benefits. One day I decided to kiss her after we were done watching a movie and she kissed back. I called her my girlfriend in my head but I don’t know about her. I was too scared of the judgments. She wanted to be official but I always brushed that off.”

This doesn't sound like it’s going to have a happy ending. Lauren gave Nicole her full attention.

“What happened then?”

“She got a boyfriend.” 

Fuck.

“Fuck is right.”

Wait, did she said that out loud? 

“Yes, you said that out loud.” Nicole chuckled and played with her fingers. “The night before the apocalypse, I called her asking her to stay with me. I told her I was having a rough day and she of course came the second I called. I knew about the apocalypse a week before it actually occurred. I joined this zombie apocalypse site. I wanted her with me because I know I can keep her safe. I was so stupid.”

“No, you’re not. I mean you just want to keep her safe. You know everything about this and you can actually protect her. You have for three weeks.” They both turned their gazes to the sleeping girls. They’re both holding each other, sharing a blanket.

“Yeah but she would be safer with him. He has a fucking private plane. His father’s a fucking millionaire. She could be at a private island but instead she’s stuck with me here and why? Because I’m selfish,”

Lauren wanted to say something but she actually agreed with what the girl was saying. It was selfish because Hayley could be at a better place but she’s stuck because of the decision Nicole made. She was selfish but Lauren’s too. She’s doing the same with Camila.

“Do you really think she feels the same?” Lauren asked. 

“Positive.” Nicole simply answered. 

“What if she doesn't?” 

“She does.”

“But what if she doesn't?”  
“Then you move on.”  
“How can I move on when I have to protect her at the same time?” 

“You have to put your ego aside and protect her even though she doesn't love you like you love her. That’s love, mate. She doesn't have anyone else. Besides, you promised her.”   
Lauren nodded, keeping her eyes on Camila.

“Tell her you love her.” 

Lauren shook her head, giggling bitterly. Oh, how Lauren wish she could do that. If she could, she would tell Camila she loves her. She’d tell her more than that. She would write a fucking poem explaining her love for the girl. 

“You’re an idiot.” was her replied before she laid down, closed her eyes and empty her thoughts. 

Lauren woke up by someone shaking her body and the sound of groaning. She yawned and slowly opened her eyes. The carpet was the best place to sleep after the car. 

“You need to wake up. Your girl wants to shower but I can’t leave Hayley alone with you snoring and sleeping like a baby. Go shower with her or something.” Nicole said, poking Lauren on the cheek.

Lauren sat up and stretched out, rubbing her neck. She looked around for Camila. The girl was reading and she has her hair in a messy bun. Huh, guess she found hairband finally. She walked towards the girl, carrying the new clothes she stole. Well, kind of. 

“Hey. Let’s take a shower. It’s been so long.” 

“Do you know where we can take a shower?” Camila asked, looking up from her book. 

“Yeah. Nicole told me there’s a gym on the second floor. Water’s still running.” 

Camila smiled and immediately stood up with her new clothes. She took Lauren’s hand and led the way even though she had no idea where to go. Lauren looked down at their intertwined hands and smiled. 

“It’s pretty chilly here, right?” Camila asked while looking around the mall. Lauren nodded and wrapped her arm around Camila’s shoulder, avoiding the girl’s look. She kept walking and rubbing the girl’s arm. Camila bit her lips and leaned closer.

“Why isn't there anyone else here? I mean this mall has everything. Food, comfort, warmth, even beds.” 

“There were. I mean most of them died, according to Nicole but most also left. We have to keep going. We can’t just stay here forever. This place seems safe now but there are lots of zombies out there and there are more people turning and you know how powerful new zombies are.” Camila looked down, she was hoping for a better answer. She was tired of running and shooting. She was tired of not knowing.

They stopped in front of a gym. It was huge. There was a body lying on the floor and Lauren had to drag Camila away from it because the girl was shaking. 

“Here’s the bathroom. I’ll wait here, just in case. Take your time.” Lauren spoke up, sitting on the bench. Camila swayed from side to side, playing with the hem of her shirt. 

“Can you um can you turn around?” 

“Right. Sorry.” She followed the girl’s ordered.

There were many showers but Lauren need to keep an eye of the place. Who knows what might appear? There were no doors except for thin shower curtains. She turned her head back to where Camila was standing. Silhouette of the younger girl was very visible and Lauren failed to look away. The moment the water hit Camila’s body, she moaned loudly and Lauren had to bit her lips to not moan herself. The younger girl’s body was moving around and she was rubbing her body with the soap Hayley gave. The curve of her body made Lauren’s heart beat faster and faster. She felt herself blushing hard at the thought of seeing the girl naked. She hid her face by looking around. 

When she no longer heard the water, she stood up and took her stuffs, ready to take a shower after going on for so long without it. Camila went out with towel wrapped around her body and her hair was messy. She also smelled really good, Lauren thought. 

“How was it?” 

“Amazing. I feel like a new person and that I could kill many zombies now.” She grinned and Lauren shook her head. 

“Go take a shower, you stinky head! I’ll keep you safe.” She added. 

Lauren didn’t bother to tell her to look away; she just stripped down in front of the girl not caring for anything but the water running down her body. Camila also didn't bother to look away as she just kept staring at the girl instead of putting on her clothes. She found herself swallowing her saliva.

“Holy shit they have hot water. Is this heaven?” Camila heard Lauren whispered and she laughed out loud.

“Did I say that out loud? Shit, I’m sorry but I just—Camz, this is amazing.”

“I know!” Camila replied.

After the shower, Lauren took Camila to a restaurant that she found when she was lost during the tour. She bought something from them and she swore she’d take Camila there someday and well there weren’t any workers but she wanted to keep her promise. She went to the storage room and took some coffee beans to brew them. She also took some food after she checked the expiry date, of course.

They held hands the whole time, Camila was humming to random songs and they were both talking about everything that doesn't have anything to do with zombies. It was like a date, almost. Well, at least for Lauren. This was the closest thing to a date and Lauren will cherish every moment of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the late update. Turned out getting ready for college took so many of my times.


	10. Closer

Lauren finished her meal, well she gave half to Camila because she knew one canned was not enough. Nicole was kissing Hayley’s fingers. After they’re all finished with their meal, they stood for a walk because apparently Nicole was bored looking at their faces. So they went for a walk with their guns. Lauren and Nicole followed their girls’ lead as they walked side by side. 

“You look like a dyke.”

Lauren gasped and flipped her off. “Said the girl that had actually slept and was in a relationship with a girl.” 

“I mean your look. You could’ve chosen so many clothes yet you choose to wear skinny jeans with bandana around your calf and leather jacket. If you didn't tell me you’re in love with a girl, my gaydar would be beeping right now.” 

“First of all, I’m wearing bandana around my calf because injury happen and I might need them so I can easily untie them instead of stuffing them somewhere, also because Camila told me I looked like those Magcon boys when I wrapped it around my head. Second, Camila stole my jacket so I need a new one. Lastly, fuck off.” Lauren replied, not taking any break.

“So basically what you’re saying is you’re whipped as fuck.” 

While the girls were arguing, Camila and Hayley were humming to random sets of songs. Camila felt good around Hayley. Mainly because the girl made it seem like the apocalypse didn't really happened. She was always calm and smiling. She was like a superhero almost. 

Hayley noticed that the girl was looking at her so she smiled.

“I like your tattoo.” Camila pointed at the girl’s forearm.

“Thanks! I got it with Nicole. Isn't it pretty?” 

“It is. I want one someday—” Camila realized what she said and she stopped mid-sentence. Will there even be a someday? She’s really sure this is it. This is her life now: fighting zombies, eating canned food and not knowing where to go. Hayley noticed the change on Camila’s face so she stepped closer and wrapped her arm around the girl’s shoulder.

“Someday sounds good.” She gave a wide smile and kept walking.

As they were walking around they heard loud groans and some non-English words. Camila slowly turned around to call Lauren only to find herself pinned down by a zombie. A newly turned zombie who had twice the strength of normal man. Hayley yelled and was pushed by another zombie. Both Lauren and Nicole wasted no time and immediately ran towards the girls. Lauren took the zombie by the neck and shoved it against the wall. The zombie kept fighting and pushing Lauren as she was trying to take out the gun. 

“Do not fuck with me or my girl, you little piece of shit.” She murmured. 

“Que te jodan!” the zombie said and Lauren almost fell down in shock but she glued her arm to the zombie’s throat. The zombie yelled his loudest and punched Lauren in the face causing Lauren to fell down, bleeding on the floor. “Stay away from her! Take me. Leave her. Just—“ she closed her eyes as she offered the zombie her arm.

“Lauren!” Camila called and Nicole went straight to her after killing the zombie that attacked Hayley. She kicked the zombie on the neck and threw few more punches before shoving the muzzle inside his mouth.

“Ready? 1—2—“ and blood spattered everywhere. Including her arm and shirt.

“God damn, I need new shirt.” She said before standing up and walking towards Lauren who had her head on Camila’s lap. The younger girl was stroking the girl’s hair and crying.

“Is she okay?” Nicole asked and Camila nodded. Lauren put up a thumb up.

“You dumb ass, next time pull your gun faster.”

“Shut up, my head hurt.”

“You’re bleeding.” Camila whispered and wiped the blood running down Lauren’s head with the sleeve of her shirt. 

“It doesn't hurt as much as it look, trust me but fuck that was one heavy zombie.” Camila giggled and pressed her lips to Lauren’s cheek. Lauren played with the girl’s hair and smiled.

“Let’s get clean up. I can’t handle the smell of his blood.” Nicole spoke up after gagging at the scene. Lauren stood up and took Camila’s hand, following Nicole and Hayley. 

“I’ll clean up the wound.” Camila spoke up out of nowhere when they arrived at the gym. Lauren was about to say something but Camila sent her a glare and she nodded. She heard Nicole saying something about getting a room and being whipped before getting in one shower with Hayley but she ignored it.

“Lay down.” The younger girl ordered, pointing at the bench. She took the first aid kit inside the bag she’s been carrying. Lauren did as told and Camila lifted her head to rest it on her lap. She slowly turned Lauren’s head to the side and took out the antibiotic. 

Lauren closed her eyes and hissed when Camila pressed the cloth to her wound. 

“Thought you said it didn’t hurt.” Camila said. Lauren can sense her smirk so she opened her eyes and flipped the girl off. Camila shook her head, chuckling and pressed the cloth even deeper.

“Fuck, Camz! Sorry!”

Camila found herself staring at the cuts on Lauren’s nose and her bottom lip. Lauren noticed the look on her face and how her eyes darkened. It reminded her of that one night, the night where she stole a kiss and the night where she confessed her love. Camila licked her lips and Lauren swore if she wasn't lying down she’d be on the floor, melting. Some of the girl’s hair was covering Lauren’s face and it blocked the light but Camila’s dark eyes were shining. Closer, Lauren wished. Come closer. Please.

“Fuck, you’re so fucking beautiful.” She whispered to herself, loud enough for Camila to hear her. Camila wiped the little blood on Lauren’s lip and swallowed quietly. She forced herself to look away from her lips and fixed her gaze at Lauren’s nose. She later realized that she had lost herself inside the eyes that were staring at her lips.She slowly leaned down and stroked Lauren’s cheeks and she bit her lips when Lauren’s warm breath hit her face. She stopped her movement when her nose met Lauren’s. 

“Kiss me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone still reading this? Can you leave a comment? You don't have to but it'd be great if you can. I'm sorry for the late update, I'm still dealing with breakdowns. Have a nice day, guys.


	11. Poison & Wine

Lauren stopped breathing for few seconds. Her body felt stuck and the only thing she can do was move her eyes. She stared deep inside Camila’s chocolate eyes and played the two words the girl whispered to her. This is a dream, this is not real. Stop dreaming, Lauren. Wake up. 

Camila blinked and Lauren startled when she lost the sight of those eyes. Camila frowned and her emotions were slowly changing little by little. She slowly pulled away. 

Lauren immediately leaned up and held Camila’s face with both of her hands, palming her cheeks. She crashed their lips. She didn't move her lips just because she wanted Camila to have the chance to pull away just in case she regretted it. So, they stayed still for a moment until Camila started to move her lips. Camila slipped her bottom lip in between the other girl’s lips and Lauren moved her body with the rhythm of their lips. They’re both facing each other with Camila’s hands interlocking behind Lauren’s neck. Camila tilted her head, deepening the kiss as Lauren pressed herself harder. She had her eyes closed tightly as if she was scared of opening them and ending the kiss. She poured every emotion she kept to herself for so long inside the kiss. She slowly traced her tongue on Camila’s bottom lips, earning a small moaned from the girl. 

Out of sudden, Camila pushed her away. Lauren was too into the kiss that when the girl pushed her away, she accidentally pulled in. When she was met with cold air, she opened her eyes. Both of them were breathing heavily, taking up as much air they've lost during the kiss. Camila lifted her hand to her lips, tracing them and feeling the warmth. She looked at Lauren with wide eyes and her mouth opening and shut. Lauren clenched her jaw, knowing what went through the girl’s mind: him. She stared at the plump lips that were on her just moments ago and how much she missed them already. 

“Lauren—I—“ She took a deep breath and kept her eyes on the girl in front of her. “I’m sorry—I was—I’m sorry.” She stood up and walked out of the shower room, hand still on her lips.

Lauren slumped over and stared at the dirty floor. Her chest and throat tightened. She slowly rubbed her left chest to ease the pain and trying to breath in as much air. She closed her eyes to calm herself only to find herself thinking and seeing the kiss all over again. After holding on for a while, she finally let the tears rolled down her cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super short chapter but I feel like you guys deserved a fast update and of course, the kiss. Also, if any of you have any idea on what I should add or what you want to see (or read), do tell me. You can send me a message on my tumblr; thatsovanilla.tumblr.com or you can leave a comment. I would love to hear your opinions! I already know the ending but I just feel like I need to add more moments between them. I really appreciate every single one of you. Thank you for reading and have a nice day!


	12. Dust to Dust

Nicole was sitting under a small window with limited amount of sunlight with her rifle and knife in front of her. She was cleaning the barrel and sharping the knife while humming a song. Hayley sat beside her feeling uncomfortable with all the weapons out in open. 

Lauren just stared at the two with a book between her legs. Camila sat far away from them because she was avoiding Lauren. Whenever she saw Lauren, she’d ran somewhere else or just pretended that she’s busy… doing nothing. Lauren doesn’t mind. To be honest, she preferred it but she missed their closeness. She missed how Camila used to hold her hand all the time or kissed her cheek before they went to bed. 

“You know we have to get out of here eventually, right?” Lauren said, eyeing the gun in front of them.

“No. This place is secure. There are shit tons of zombies out there and I don’t feel like fighting them.”

“Yeah well we can’t stay here forever. It seems secure now but it won’t be soon. We already met few zombies here and soon they’ll be ‘living’ here like us.”

Hayley bit her bottom lip and wrapped her arm around Nicole’s.   
“Where do you want to go?”

“I don’t know but we can keep driving and we can decide then.”

“What about Florida? Close to the ocean and zombies can’t swim.” 

“That’s one hell of a ride and I don’t think the truck has much gas left.”

“We can fucking try, don’t we?” Nicole huffed, putting down the rifle. 

“Well we have to be fucking smart about it. We can’t walk there.”

“Yo, I’m the zombie expert here. I’ve been studying this shit for years so listen to me!” 

Lauren giggled bitterly.

“But you’re not being smart enough about it. We could end up dying in the middle of the road because there’s no gas left and there aren’t many gas station with gas! I’m trying to protect our asses here!” She harshly replied.

“You think I’m not protecting us? You think I have no one to protect?” She shouted, gripping Hayley’s hand tighter. “I have Hayley. I care about her! I love her! And at least I can fucking tell her that instead of mopping around with your sorry eyes and your unrequited love.” 

Lauren straightened her posture, not believing the words that came out of the girl’s mouth. From the corner of her eye, she saw Camila was staring at her and her face turned red. Nicole was staring at her, challenging her almost. 

She clenched her jaw, launched forward and punched the girl in the jaw. Nicole fell on the floor with Hayley yelling her name. Lauren pushed Hayley aside, gripped the collar of Nicole’s shirt and pushed her against the wall. They’re both breathing heavily; Nicole because she was startled and Lauren because she was furious. 

Lauren’s fist met with Nicole’s cheeks for few times before she saw blood coming out of the girl’s mouth and nose. She raised her fist again but Camila pushed her and causing the smaller girl to sit on top of her with her hand holding Lauren’s fist. They looked into each other’s eyes and the moment Lauren moved a muscle, Camila stood up and walked towards Hayley who was wiping the bloods on Nicole’s face. 

“What—the—fuck, Lauren?” She asked, coughing in between her words. Lauren looked at her for few seconds, concerned. She then rubbed off the dust on her jacket and walked away from them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quite a short chapter but I just feel like I need to update. I have no excuse, really. I'm just dumb and writer's block is a dick. I'm sorry. I will try my best updating this faster. Don't be mad at Nicole, she's a pretty rad girl. Stay with me, guys. Thank you for reading, also thank you for some suggestions on tumblr! I'm going to use some of them for sure! :)


	13. Surround You

Lauren slowly stood up, not wanting to make any noises. She tighten the straps of her backpack, checked the knife inside her boot and loaded the gun. God, it’s like she’s going on a war. She just needs a war paint and she’s set. She cracked the muscle on her neck and took a deep breath before she quietly walked out the bookstore. 

“Lauren?” a voiced spoke up. She stopped midway but didn't turn around. 

“Where are you going?” the voice asked again. 

“Out.” She answered. 

“Out where? Are you hungry? Let me pack my stuffs, okay?” 

“No!” she snapped. “I’m going alone. You stay here.” She added and continued what she was planning. She felt a warm hand around her wrist that forced her to turn around, meeting the voice. 

“What do you mean you’re going alone? You are not going alone. I’m coming with you. Let me pack my bag. I don’t have lots of stuffs, it’ll be fast.”

“Look, I don’t want to make this more complicated than it already is so… just… go back to sleep.” 

Camila raised her eyebrow, lips straighten. “You expect me to go back to sleep when I now know that you’re going to leave? Do you know how dangerous it is out there? You've always been the one telling me how we can’t separate, no matter what happens and now you’re doing this?”

“I’m not leaving you alone! I've told Nicole and I’m sure she’ll tell Hayley soon. She’ll take care of you, she’s a good protector. You don’t need to worry. You’re safe with her.” 

“This is not about me being safe! It’s about you! And us! We can’t separate, Lauren. Take me with you. I can shoot zombies now. I swear! Nicole taught me.” She pleaded, holding both of Lauren’s hands and resting them on her chest.

“Camila, please. Just… it’s only for few days. I’ll be back.”

“Tell me the truth.”

“What?” The older girl asked, confused.

“Tell me the real reason why you’re doing this.”

Lauren rolled her eyes and looked at the wall behind Camila.

“Tell me, Lauren.”

“I can’t sit here knowing that you hate me, Camila. I can’t stand being around you but not really being around you. I can’t stand those stolen glances and those sorry eyes you gave me. I’m just going out for a little while and give you space, alright? I’ll be back soon. I promise to protect you, didn't I?” 

“I don't hate you, Lauren. You know that, I know that. This mall is huge! You can have your space here! Just go to the gym or music store! What if you don’t come back, huh? I can’t lose you, Lauren.” She whispered the last few words. Lauren clenched her jaw and looked down at her. She tilted her head up so they’re meeting eye to eye. 

“Then know that I love you.” Her voice cracked, “and I’m sorry for not keeping my promise.” 

Camila let out the tears she was holding, bit her lips and let go of Lauren’s hand. She opened her mouth to say something but no words came out. Lauren gave her a small smile, nodded and turned around. 

“Lau—wait” Camila ran in front of Lauren, pulled her down by the collar of her shirt and kissed her. She gripped Lauren’s cheek and her waist. Lauren wanted to pull away because of the roughness but instead she just kissed her back, just as hard.

When they pulled away, Camila still had her eyes close while Lauren was looking down at her. She waited until those brown eyes appeared.

“Come back safe, my zombie killer.” Lauren smiled at the nickname and kissed the side of her face. She turned around when she was one step out of the bookstore. She nodded her head and smiled back at the crying girl before finally disappearing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter! Sorry, but i'm trying to fix something in my life and I need to focus on that a little bit. This chapter is dedicated to the anon that sent me a suggestion. I love your suggestion and I used it! I hope it's as good as it was in your head? I tried. Thank you for that. Do drop by with more suggestions (if you want) or just drop by and say hi. Always looking for new friends :) Thank you for reading!


	14. Stomach Tied in Knots

It was quiet and somehow it’s darker even though she’s been living in this mall for almost a month now. The love of her life is holding her hand and they’re both staring at Camila who was sitting with her knees up chest in front of the entrance of the bookstore, waiting for Lauren. Hayley laid her head on Nicole’s shoulder, biting her lips trying to figure out what to do. They've talked about what they should do the night when Lauren told Nicole about the plan but they all seemed to disappear now.

Nicole sighs when she saw Camila wiping the tears on her cheek for what seems to be what she’s been doing for the last hours. 

“We should talk to her.” Hayley whispered, her lips resting on the girl’s shoulder. Nicole looked down at her. 

“I don’t know what to say. You’re closer to her.”

“I am but… I don’t do well with sad people.” 

Nicole gave her a small smile and kissed her head. 

“I’ll talk to her. You just stay here and give her your bright smile, okay?” Hayley nodded and pecked the girl’s lips. “Good luck, baby.” She whispered when she pulled away.

Nicole walked towards Camila, shook both of her arms and took a deep breath. She sat down next to the girl, their shoulders touching. 

“I wanted to ask you how you’re doing but I don’t think that’s a good thing to ask so I’m gonna ask you the second thing I had in mind.” Camila kept her gaze forward and waited, “Are you hungry?” 

She really is Lauren 2.0, Camila thought. She shook her head.

“You have to eat something. You haven’t eaten anything and Lauren will kill me if you’re starved. She actually told me that. Her exact words were to kill me if I let you starve.”

“Then maybe you should let me starve.”

Nicole frowned. 

“Maybe then she’ll come back faster.” Camila added. Nicole huffed and turned her head around. Hayley gave her a big smile. She turned back to Camila and wrapped her arm around her. 

“It’s only been four hours since she left. She’ll need a little more time than that. You should take your time to think as well.”

“I don’t want to think about anything. What if something happened to her? What if… what if she got turned?”

“She’s a great shooter, and she fights like a beast. She’ll be okay. She would never let them turn her, if they bit her arm, she’d probably chop it off so she won’t get turn.” Nicole giggled but then realized who she was talking to. Camila looked horrified and she started shaking.

“I’m just kidding! Don’t worry, kid. She’s a fighter. She’s alright. She’s been a great survivor and protector for you and for Hayley and me.”

She felt warm hand on her arm. Hayley was sitting beside Camila, also wrapping her arm around her. Nicole smiled and interlocked their fingers and rested them on Camila’s back.

“She told me she loves me.” 

The two lovers stop playing with each other’s fingers and focused on Camila.

“She told me she loves me but I didn’t say anything back! Why didn’t I say anything back!” She wiped the tears that were on her lips using the sleeve of her jacket. Lauren’s jacket. 

“She knows you love her. You don’t need to say anything back to prove it.” 

“Yeah. Before all of these happened, Nicole never said she loves me but I always knew she does.” Nicole looked down on the floor, still guilty about what happened. 

“We used to say we loved each other a lot. We made sure to say we love each other before every performance.” 

That caught both Nicole and Hayley’s attention.

“Performance? Like theater? You guys were in drama club?”

“No. She went to private school. She’s really smart. We were in a band, all girls band. We met on X-Factor.” 

“Wait, what?”

“She didn't tell you?”

“No. Whenever I asked, she threatened to cut my balls. Not that I have any. I promise. Ask Hayley.” Hayley gave her a look and she shook her head. ‘What? I’m nervous.’ She mouthed. 

“Are you guys new?” Hayley asked. 

“We've been a band since 2012. We were strangers before.”

“Are you guys… Fifth Harmony?” Hayley asked and Camila nodded.

“What’s that?” Nicole spoke up, “I’m sorry, I’m not good with pop culture. I only listen to punk music and Fifth Harmony doesn't sound like a punk name to me.”

Camila smiled and shook her head. She tried to take any of Lauren’s scent left on the jacket. She should’ve asked for the jacket Lauren was wearing. She should’ve convinced her to stay.

“I miss her so much, it’s really hurting my heart. Every inch of my body hurt. I need her.” She fell into Hayley’s embrace. She hid her face, letting all the tears out, hand still clutching the jacket and wishing that she could start again because she really can’t live without Lauren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for blowing up my ask box! You guys made me smile with your great suggestions (and your cute self). If I didn't reply to your message, it's either because I'm taking your idea or I don't want to give out any spoilers. I'm sorry if I'm not taking your suggestion. They're all great (and hilarious) but they don't really fit with the ending I have in mind. I think you guys are going to love the ending. I'll write Lauren's part tomorrow, alright? Don't worry, I'm not ditching her. Do drop by and say hi, or something. Let's not be strangers. Thank you for reading!


	15. Angel With a Shotgun

Lauren slowed her pace after she’s been walking for what seems like eternity. She left at dawn and now the sun was at its highest. She’s sweating but she refused to take the jacket off because if she got bitten, at least there’s another layer to protect her from being turned. 

She glanced down at her arm to make sure that the ink was still visible and readable. 

Lauren Jauregui  
June 27th, 1996  
Blood Type: O

She decided to do that just in case something happened to her. 

She took out the second water bottle from her backpack and chugged it with one sip, some of the water ran down her neck. She didn't mind, she preferred it. She threw the empty bottle in front of her and noticed a set of feet not far away from her. Haze was covering the remaining body but with the position of the feet, she immediately knew it wasn't human. 

“Give me a fucking break.” She whispered, took out the gun and loaded it. She tried to calculate the distance between them.

Just as she was about to shoot, she heard loud grunting noises behind her. She clenched her jaw, gun still at the target but slowly turned her head to the side. When she saw one of them, she waste no time and started running. There were probably 10 of them and she’s a not professional shooter, even if she was, she’d never risk her life. She promised the girl she loves that she’ll come back and she’s not breaking that promise.

“Shit shit shit.” She yelled when she got closer to the zombie she was targeting. “Think, Lauren. Think.” She then decided to just push the zombie and continued running because the number of zombies chasing her increased. 

She saw cars lining up on the side of the road and she remembered something that Nicole told her one night. ‘Zombies only run following their targets, they don’t care about anything else and they only see the targets when they’re hungry so always think of a distraction.’ Lauren smirked and hopped on the first car in line, glad that it’s a small car so it was easy for her. She jumped from one car to another, the gun in her hand flying with her. 

She heard loud crash behind her and she turned her head back. The zombies were still struggling to climb the first car and instead they were stepping on each other. She laughed and yelled, “I’m Lara Croft, motherfucker!” She jumped off the last car, only to stepped on her shoe lace and fell on her back.

As she was lying on the ground, she saw the image of Camila with a serious face, scowling her for not tying her shoelaces and telling her all the consequences of what could happen. She laughed, sat down and leaned on the car. 

“Always the right one even if you’re not here aren't you, Camz?” She whispered, tying the shoelaces. She stood up, brushing off the dust on her jacket and ran. 

She continued running until she stopped at a gas station. She was shocked with the condition. It wasn't as bad as any other building she saw on the road. There were bodies on the ground and the entrance door no longer had glass but still, it looked pretty decent. She walked inside the shop, gun ready to shoot. There was a body of a woman with stripped shirt leaning against the counter with her intestines coming out of her stomach and her mouth wide open as if she was screaming. Lauren felt sick at the sight; she assumed the woman worked here. 

She took a deep breath and eyed the store. She really couldn't bring anything else with her because of the limited space inside her backpack and she has a feeling she’ll do lots of running so carrying more weight was not an option so she decided to only take some energy bars. She was looking for drinks when she was shoved against the broken refrigerator. She tried to escape but she was trapped and the attacker had arm around her neck, suffocating her. 

“Give me that gun or I’ll snap your neck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wasn't going to post anything today because I had shitty day but I promised, so here you go. Not my favorite but I hope you guys enjoyed it nonetheless. Thank you again for sending me so many suggestions and so many cute asks. You people are great! And to that one anon hoping that camren will frickle frackle, you are cute.


	16. Sorry

Camila woke up when she felt her face covered with liquid and warm air. She quickly opened her eyes, her arm trying to reach Lauren’s out of habit because she always did that whenever she had nightmares. When she was met with the green eyes she’s been waiting to see, she smiled. 

“Lauren.” She whispered.

There was something odd with her eyes. It’s still green and still very beautiful but the color seemed to be faded and they looked… dead. She moved her eyes to the nose, staring at the nose ring for few seconds and continued down her the girl’s mouth. Saliva mixed with blood was running down her mouth and into Camila’s face. She opened her mouth to yell but Lauren covered it with her palm. 

She was struggling trying to call for Nicole or Hayley but the girl was too strong. Lauren lowered her head to her wrist and Camila used all of her strength to push her away.

“Stop. Please! Stop!” she tried to yell over the girl’s palm. 

“Stop! Please! Help me!” 

Lauren looked down on her, staring to her brown eyes. She stayed still for a while but still locking Camila beneath her with her body. Camila pleaded with her teary eyes. She was hopeless and weak. The older girl moved down on her body, slowly as if she was teasing her. Camila felt the warm breath on her arm and out of the sudden she felt so much pain and she can no longer move her fingers, her arm felt numb. She was too scared to look down. Lauren already moved to her next arm. 

She lay on the same place she used to lay beside Lauren only the girl that’s attacking her now used to hold her and laid kisses all over her face instead of ripping her arms off. She lay beneath the girl who promised to come back with tears down her cheeks and the image of them kissing before closing her eyes and let the darkness embraced her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super short chapter but you guys deserve something. Hope you enjoy it (probably not lol) and stay with me. Thank you for reading. This is actually one of the suggestions. Suggestion is always welcome! Enjoy your day.


	17. Sky's Still Blue

“Camila! Hey, wake up! Camila!” 

She felt herself being shaken aggressively. Camila opened her eyes and immediately embraced the person without seeing who it was. She was sweating and sobbing. 

“Hey—hey—you’re okay. We’re here. It’s okay. Shh..” Nicole whispered, rubbing her back. “It’s okay. You’re okay. It was just a dream.”

“She—she came back. She came back as—she’s turned! She didn’t know who I was and she bit—“ Hayley started kissing her head and whispering soothing words. She calmed herself with the girl’s voice. 

“It’s just a dream.” Nicole pulled away from the embrace and Camila looked down on her body, her arms. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

‘Just a dream’ she muttered to herself as Hayley kept her warm that night.

_Just a dream._

x

Camila decided to walk around the mall to keep her head off the nightmares she’s been having. She stopped at the gym to use the shower, only to get distracted by images of them. She ended up sitting on the exact bench where they kissed and cried her eyes out.

She fell asleep afterwards. The shower room was dark with only little sunlight from the small window. Nicole told her to come back before there’s no light. She swallowed her spit, loaded her gun and ran to the bookstore without glancing back. She was gasping for air by the time she arrived at the bookstore. 

“Hey.”

“Hey! Sorry I fell asleep.”

“It’s okay. Let’s eat.” Camila looked down at the canned foods on the floor. Her stomach was grumbling but she felt nauseous just looking at the foods and thinking about if Lauren had taken her food. 

“I’m not hungry. I’m tired, I just want to sleep. Enjoy your meal, guys.” 

“I told you not to skip meals.” 

Camila turned her head to the side and was met with taller feature with long wavy hair. She didn’t have to look closer to know who it was.

“Lauren.” She whispered.

“Hey, Camz.”

“Lauren?”

“Hi.” 

“Lauren!” She yelled and ran towards the older girl. She stood in front of her and laid her palms on Lauren’s cheeks. “It’s you. It’s really you. You’re back.” She mumbled, rubbing her nose and mouth. She touched every inch of Lauren’s face. 

“I promised to come back, didn’t I?” Lauren gripped her hips. Camila smiled and moved her hands behind Lauren’s neck. 

“I miss you. I miss you. I mis—“ she choked and started tearing up. Lauren kissed the side of her face and rubbed the girl’s back.

“I miss you too.” Lauren answered before pulling away. 

“I have a surprise for you.” Lauren said, wiping the remaining tears on Camila’s cheeks. “You’ll love it, trust me.” 

Camila smiled. She took Lauren’s hands that were on her cheek and interlocked their fingers. She felt her heart beating faster.

“Hey, babe.” 

“Austin?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for not updating for so long. I have no other excuses other than college, heartbreak, depression, crying over camaustin and voting for EMA. I'm going to college very soon so I want to end this sooner because I know I won't have much time to write for fun (I'm a writing major) much. Thank you for waiting and understanding. Leave comments, that'd be nice :) Thank you for reading!


	18. Sad Song

Lauren loaded her gun and started walking to the mini supermarket on the ground floor. The sound of her boots gave her anxiety and she felt herself sweating. She cleaned her boots from the muds just in case the zombies are smart enough to follow her trails. Better safe than sorry. 

She took a glance at her bandaged arm and rolled down the sleeves of her shirt. Camila helped her cleaned the wounds and she even managed to perfectly wrapped Lauren’s arm. She continued her journey and walked inside the store. She wasted no time and went straight to the canned foods. She’d love to eat other things or give Camila other type of foods but fires might attract zombies. Lauren immediately took armful of mushroom soups and shoved it inside her bag. She was disappointed that they didn’t have any mixed fruits but she took whatever she saw on the shelves. 

“Drinks. We need drinks.” She whispered to herself, already walking to the beverage aisle.

She skipped the milk and dairy products and eyed the juices.

“Fuck it, I’ll just take random drinks.” She took five bottles of juices and a large bottle of plain water. 

“This is enough unless that boy needed more food.” She went through her bag.

“Nah, I don’t care.” She added before heading out the store.

She took her time walking back to the bookstore. She knew what she’s going to come back to. Last night she went straight to bed to avoid seeing Camila with him. She promised to find him and she did. She found him and now she’s spending her time with him. She’s thought about this, of course. She’s not stupid. She’s prepared all the heartbreaks.

As slow as she took time walking, she eventually arrived at the bookstore. She took a deep breath and walked inside. 

“Hey, I bring foods and drinks.” 

“God, yes. I’ve missed you.”

“Are you only saying that because I bring you foods?”

“Mostly, yeah. I’m starving. Where are these foods?” 

Lauren handed her bag to Nicole and put down her gun. She sat down beside Nicole who already opened the cans with her knife. She then tapped the carpet, calling Hayley.  
Lauren tried not to make it so obvious that she was looking for Camila. 

“She’s with Austin. I think they’re going on a walk. I didn’t ask where though, sorry.” Hayley spoke up. Nicole looked just as guilty. Lauren gave a small smile, shook her head and stared down the carpet. 

“If you asked me, he’s not my type.”

“Nicole, you’re gay.”

“Well yeah but I know hot guys when I see one and he is not a hot dude. I mean ask Hayley, she’s bi if her opinions matter more to you.” She replied while chewing her food. Lauren tried not to gag.

Hayley nodded her head. “I agree. I don’t find him that cute. I mean he’s an okay looking guy but not my type also.” Lauren heard Nicole mumbling something about being Hayley’s only type and she giggled.

“Thanks.”

“I mean you bring foods, kill zombies and a badass in general. He’s nothing against you.” Nicole opened another can for Lauren. Lauren thanked her and she nodded her head.  
“Where did you find him anyways? When you told me about him, I was positive that he didn’t make it.” 

Lauren slowly chewed her food and stared at scattered books on the floor. 

“I found a gas station not too far away from here and I was taking some energy bars, some drink, because I was running out of food and then I was shoved against the refrigerator. It was Austin. He asked for my gun.”

“You gave him your gun?” 

Lauren shook her head. 

“No way in hell would I do that. I elbowed his groin and kicked his chin.” Nicole was laughing by now, imagining the boy's face holding his man parts on the floor. Hayley tried so hard to calm her down. 

“They still have gas in that gas station, I think. It looks pretty decent. We should get out of here soo—”

Lauren heard a small giggle and stopped talking. She looked up and saw Camila and Austin holding hands. She immediately turned her gaze somewhere else. She bit her lips to the point where it bleed to cover the pain inside her heart. 

“Hey.” Camila said. Lauren clenched her jaw. She then took out her knife to open the mushroom soup for the girl. She set the can in front of Camila and gave her a small smile without looking up at her. 

_Don't break down, do not break down. Not yet. Just be out of her sight. You're okay, Lauren. You're okay. Fuck, I'm going to cry. She's happy. You promised her you'll bring him back and now he's here. She's happy. She doesn't feel the same but that's okay because her happiness is your happiness. I want to kick his face again. She'll kill me. Just get up and walk away. Don't make eye contact. Just stand up, Jauregui._

She slowly stood up and fixed her her hair. “Enjoy.” She said before walking away.

Camila stared at her as she walked away, she opened her mouth to say something, to stop her from leaving but Austin pulled her down to sit on his lap. She replied his smile but they didn't meet her eyes. She looked down on herself and the way Austin was holding her. She was supposed to feel happy, loved, this was what she wanted but her heart ached more than she thought was possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Don't forget to vote for the girls for the people's choice award! Also, if you're a fan of Austin, I'm sorry. I'm not saying this is how he is but this is what I pictured him in my head in this story.


	19. I am Invincible, as long as I'm in love with you

Lauren woke up first because she had a nightmare. She’s been having lots of that after she came back. Sleepless nights and zombies gave that kind of impact to you. It’s dark so it must still be pretty early. She went to sleep earlier than most of them last night. 

She stood up, walking closer to Camila. She’s sleeping next to him, facing the bookshelves. Lauren noticed that she’s wearing the jacket Lauren gave. She found herself smiling at the sight before waking Nicole up. 

The girl grunted.

“What do you want?”

“We need to go.”

“The fuck you talking about, do you wanna get killed by zombies?” Nicole answered, hiding her face on Hayley’s neck.

“We need to go now. I can’t be here anymore. I can’t see th—we need to move along. Please say yes.” Nicole clenched her jaw and dropped a kiss on the sleeping girl’s neck. She sat up and nodded. 

“This better be worth it or else.” Lauren smiled.

“Do you even know where we’re going?” Nicole yawned and stretched out. Lauren looked out the door and back to Nicole.

“No but we’ll find out along the way. We’ll stop at the gas station I told you about and we’ll fill up the gas.”

“What if we ran out of gas?”

“There are other gas stations, Nicole. What’s important is we get out of here, okay? Trust me on this. Work with me.” She begged. Nicole stared down at Hayley and nodded her head. 

“Okay.” She answered. “Okay.”

“Do you want me to wake her up?” Nicole asked, pointing at Camila. Lauren thought of this for few seconds before shaking her head.

“I’ll do it.” She took a deep breath and walked towards the younger girl. She kneeled beside her and pushing her hair that was hiding her face behind her ear. Camila stirred and slowly opened one eye. “Lauren?”

“Hey, you. Time to wake up.” 

“What time is it?” 

“I don’t know but we have to go. I’ll make you your breakfast. You go get ready. Wake him up.”

“But where are we going?”

“I’m not sure yet. Don’t be scared, you have me—and you have him. You have Nicole and Hayley. We’ll take care of you.”

“I’m not scared of anything… I’m just—I’m—okay.” Lauren raised her eyebrow and gave her a little smile. Camila felt her heart beat faster. 

“You sure?” 

“Yeah.” Lauren nodded her head and stood up.

“Lauren?”

The older girl looked down. “Hm?”

“I—I’m—“ Lauren noticed her glassy eyes and kneeled back down. “Hey, what’s wrong?” tears went down Camila’s cheeks and Lauren wiped them with her thumbs, her palm cupping the girl’s cheeks. Camila wrapped her fingers around Lauren’s wrist.

“About him—“ Lauren shook her head and put down her hands. “But—“ Before she gets to say anything else, Lauren dropped a kiss on her cheek. 

“Pack your bag. We’re going for an adventure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there. I'm so sorry for the late update. I have shit tons of assignments and there's no (free) wifi in my uni so I need to wait till I'm home to post the updates. I'm truly sorry, guys. Thank you for waiting. I understand if I've lost some readers, it's okay. Let me know if you're still reading, if you don't mind. Again, I'm sorry. Also, happy holidays!


	20. Oh Well, Oh Well

It’s a pretty hot day so Lauren wrapped her jacket around her waist. She made sure no corpses or other things walked around outside the mall. She looked behind her and let the others to get in the truck first as she pointed her gun around. 

She was shocked to see Camila sitting beside her instead of him. “Shotgun?” Lauren asked, putting the key in the ignition.

“Called it the first thing you told me we’re going on adventure.” Camila answered with a big smile. Lauren shook her head, replying the girl’s smile and prayed that they’ll have a safe journey. Camila noticed her worried face so she rested her hand on top of Lauren’s. Lauren was holding the gear when she felt the warmth palm. She didn’t look at Camila because of her red face but she opened up some space around her fingers and Camila immediately intertwined them. She looked at the front mirror to see if anyone was noticing it. Hayley was sleeping with her head resting on Nicole’s shoulder while the other girl was looking outside the window, slowly falling asleep. Austin was also sleeping with his head on the window. That boy’s going to get a concussion. Lauren thought, biting her lips to prevent herself from laughing or smirking.

“There’s the gas station. Let’s hope they still have some for us. You can sleep if you want. I’ll wake you up when we’re there.” 

“This is where you found Austin?” 

She nodded and went out the car. 

Camila waited inside the car with the others, trying to force herself to sleep but failed when she kept thinking of Lauren. She then followed the older girl inside the gas station.

“What are you doing here?” 

Camila shrugged and looked around the shop. She took some chocolate bars and drinks when she noticed Lauren doing the same. She bit her lips when she saw Lauren’s tattoo on her neck. 

“Lauren?”

“Yeah?” Lauren answered without looking up from the candy shelves.

“Can we talk?” 

“We can talk later. We need to go and fill up the gas.”

“You’re avoiding me.”

Lauren closed her eyes and let out a breath. 

“Why are you avoiding me?”

“I’m not avoiding you.”

Camila kneeled down beside Lauren and stroked her arm. 

“Yes you are and you know it. What did I do wrong?” 

“I told you I’m no—“

“We don’t talk like we used to. You’re—you’re different.” Lauren looked down on Camila’s lips and ran her tongue across her own lips. She sighed and stood up, walking out the shop with Camila running behind her.

“Tell me! Is it because of him?” she took a hold of Lauren’s wrist and spun her around. 

“Look, we have nothing to talk about. I promised to bring you your boyfriend back and I did. What’s done is done, okay?”

“So you’re going to stop taking care of me?”

“I didn’t say that, Camz. I just—let’s just not talk about this please.” 

“But why!” 

“Because I said so.” She answered, taking the gas pump and filling the tank. 

“Oh so mature.” 

Lauren rolled her eyes and looked around the station. 

“Lauren.”

“Shhh… they’re sleeping.”

“Lauren.”

“Lauren!”

Camila stomped her feet and stood in front of Lauren. The taller girl faced the other way.

“Lauren.” She called, quieter this time. “Lauren,” she whispered and she noticed that Lauren’s face soften but her eyes were still looking around.   
She palmed Lauren’s jaws and pulled her down. Their foreheads were resting and they felt each other’s breaths. Camila then stretched her body and kissed Lauren. One of Lauren’s hands was gripping on Camila’s hip. When she felt the girl’s tongue, she pushed away and put the pump back at its place. After tightened up the fuel cap, she sat back in the truck.

Camila was dumbfounded. It took her few seconds before realizing what had happened. When she got in the truck, she faced the window and avoided any contact with Lauren. She sat in a fetus position and let the tears ran down her cheek but avoided any noise from coming out.   
Lauren clenched her jaw and continued her journey, praying that things will get better and easier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 2015, guys! Thank you for being part of my 2014. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Here's to new year and new beginning.


	21. Bruised and Scarred

Camila slowly opened her eyes when she can see the light through her eyelids and felt her skin burning. She swiped the sweat on her forehead and took her—Lauren’s—jacket off. Her throat was dry. She looked at the driver’s seat to wake Lauren up only to meet with empty seat. She went out from the car and saw Lauren sitting down with her legs up to her chin on the ground, her body resting against the car. Her eyes were closed but Camila’s sure she wasn’t sleeping. She took a deep breath before approaching the older girl.

“Lauren.” She called, leaning down. Lauren opened her eyes, looking around in shock. Camila was shocked herself and she fell down her butt. “Fuck.”

“God dammit, Camila. You scared me.” Lauren said, helping Camila wiping the dust off her pants, carefully not to touch her butt. She swallowed her saliva. 

“What are you doing outside? It’s dangerous.” 

“It’s hot inside beside I have this.” Lauren replied, putting up her gun. Camila sat beside her, slowly pushing Lauren’s hand down.

“How do you get use holding that? Aren’t you scared?”

“I’m more scared of not being able to do anything if something happened to yo—me, Hayley and Nicole.”  
Camila looked down. “What about me?” She asked.

“You have him.” Lauren answered after few moments of silence.

“So you’re not going to protect me anymore just because my boyfriend’s back?” Lauren felt her stomach twisting when the word ‘my boyfriend’ came out from the girl’s mouth but she bit her lips to avoid any sort of action.

“Go back inside. We’re going to continue our journey.” Lauren stood up, not caring to offer Camila her hand. 

“Do we even have a journey?” Camila whispered looking at the distant. Lauren slowly turned her head to Camila.

“Do we even have a plan? We’re just going to die, Lauren. Just say it. I can see you’re slowly giving up.” 

“I’m not giving up.” 

“You are. You don’t have anything to fight for anymore since he’s back, right? You don’t care anymore.” She let out a small giggled. Lauren felt her blood rushing. 

“Guess whatever it was you felt wasn’t real.” Lauren immediately got on her knees and grabbed both of the girl’s shoulders, looking straight into her eyes before leaning down and laid a kiss on the tip of her nose. 

“Say whatever the fuck you want but don’t—don’t ever doubt my feelings. I will never stop protecting you; it’s just that it’s—it’s not my place anymore.” She whispered, lips almost meeting Camila’s. “Do you understand that?” Camila looked up from Lauren’s lips to her eyes and slowly nodded.  
Lauren pulled away and sat back on the driver’s seat, turning the ignition on. 

“Where did you keep the ammo?” She asked once Camila sat down and closed the door. Camila looked around, trying to remember where she put it. She then opened the dashboard and grinned widely. 

“Good. Remember when I taught you how to load the gun?” Camila nodded. “Okay, I need you to load both of my guns and yours. Can you do that?” Again without saying a word, Camila nodded. She did what she was told to do. When Lauren heard the click sound, she took the gun right away from Camila’s hand.  
Then, she looked out the window and started shooting ahead of them causing Camila to scream. Nicole, Hayley and Austin woke up by the scream and started to panic. Lauren released one more bullet before she put down her smoky gun. She looked… relieved. 

“How—how did you even know?” 

“Instinct and well I saw shadows moving behind the tree.” Lauren answered as if it wasn’t a big deal. Camila looked out to see how many were there and saw a group of about 8 bleeding zombies laying down the ground. 

“That is some badass shit, Lauren. But—I don’t think this place is safe anymore. We should get moving.” Nicole spoke up, holding Hayley who was hiding her face against Nicole’s neck. Lauren nodded and looked up the rear-view mirror. Austin was stroking Camila’s cheek from the back seat and the girl was holding his other hand that was resting on her shoulder. 

Lauren clenched her jaw and drove away not noticing Camila’s eyes on her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there. Sorry for the late and short update. I'm actually posting this in uni. It's pretty great. I'll write more, I'd love to but I have to write for my assignments too and I guess that's more important. I love you guys and thank you for still reading. Do drop suggestions and please enjoy. Thatsovanilla.tumblr.com (drop few ideas :)!)


	22. High Hopes

They’ve been on the road for days killing God how many zombies and getting panicked over the gas. Lauren ended up having to cut the hose from a gas station to steal gas from other cars. The amounts of cars that have gas were surprising. Lauren snapped her neck to the left, desperate to relief the pain. Camila was sleeping, her head kept bumping on the window and every time she did, Lauren woke her up to reposition her. 

“Where are we?” Camila asked, with a yawn.

“London, probably.” 

The younger girl sat straight and looked outside the window. Lauren shook her head, giggling. Camila rolled her eyes and stretched. 

“I miss London.” Camila whispered, to herself but loud enough for Lauren to hear her. Lauren clenched her jaw and tightened her grip on the steering wheel. 

“I miss London too.” She saw the smile on Camila’s face and bit her lips to prevent herself for smiling herself. Camila sat closer and rested her head on Lauren’s shoulder. Lauren wanted to say no but she loved it.

“The weather is beautiful today. Look at the lilac sky. Look at that cloud! It looks like alpacas.” Lauren laughed. “It does!” Camila insisted, cheeks turning red. 

“I’m sure it does, Camz.” 

“Want to stop for a while?” 

“No can do. Too risky. This, wherever this is, doesn’t have good hiding spot.” She answered. “Why? You’re hungry? There’s energy bar in the dashboard.”

“It’s okay. It’s just that my butt hurts from all the sitting.” Lauren nodded. “Maybe we can find some spot soon but not here. I think I saw like 10 trees from all the hours I’ve been driving.” She replied. Realizing that she had been driving non-stop, she looked at the meter. 

“You know, this could look like a very cool place for a road trip. I wish I had my iPod with me.”

“Basically it is a road trip. With zombies.” Lauren smirked and winked at Camila. “I’m sure if we’re adrenalin junkies, we’d have more fun. Not that I’m saying this is fun or not fun, but it’ll be better without the zombies.”

Camila shook her head, trying not to laugh. She noticed how tense Lauren looked. She must be tired, Camila thought. She looked at the backseat. Lauren refused to let Austin drive but she didn’t say why. It’s because she didn’t trust him enough with their lives, Camila knew this. Why is she so stubborn? 

Lauren rubbed the back of her neck with her left hand, trying to ease the pain. Camila looked at the backseat again before sitting closer to the older girl and replace Lauren’s hand with her own. Lauren was surprised and she was about to say something but the younger girl cut her off. 

“Both hands on the wheel, young lady.” She said, not looking at Lauren and kept massaging the back of her neck.

Lauren rolled her eyes and tried not to react to the girl’s touch which she failed, miserably. At least this way she won’t be as sleepy or tired because of Camila’s touch. 

“Lauren?” 

“Hmm?” 

“Being here right now with you, with all this mess and this zombie apocalypse thing…”

“Yeah…?” 

“It’s easier with you. Being in this very messed up situation is easier because I have you and I trust you with everything that I have.” She said, stopping the movement of her hand on the back of Lauren’s neck. She laid her head on the girl’s shoulder, shifting her eyes on the road. Lauren looked up at the rear mirror, looking at the sleeping boy, the boyfriend of the girl she’s in love with in the back seat and slowly kissed her head. 

Me too she wanted to say but decided against it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for not updating for God knows how long. Uni is killing me with assignments. So, hey! Enjoy the chapter. It's short but I am writing more, I promise. I'll finish this, I already have the ending in mind. Have a great day, guys!


	23. Almost Pretty

They stopped somewhere in a forest, not deep enough to get lost or not close enough to get caught by those zombies. It was freezing and they can’t light anything up so they have to turn the engine off because who knows how many gas are still out there. Nicole and Hayley were holding each other tightly to keep themselves warm, those lucky fuckers, Lauren thought. She didn’t even want to know what Camila and Austin doing. 

She decided to sleep on the trunk. She had hard time sleeping for few minutes because she was so mesmerized by the stars. The sky was so clear, it was almost purple. For a moment she thought she was high because she wore she saw the galaxy. 

“How can you be so clear and beautiful when it’s the exact opposite down here?” She whispered. She hummed some lullabies she’s forgotten the titles of to sleep only to be awoken few hours later to someone calling Camila’s name. She immediately took the gun next to her and hopped off the trunk.

“What’s wrong? What’s wrong with her?” She walked to the driver’s seat. Austin looked at her with wide eyes.

“Camila. She’s—she’s gone.”

“What the fuck do you mean by gone, Mahone?” She tried to calm her anger, looking around.

“I went to uh to pee and when I came back she’s gone.” 

“Wow aren’t you stupid.” Whispered Nicole.

“Fucking hell.” Laure hissed, stroking back the hair that was on her face. She took a deep breath and gripped her hand. “Okay you guys wait here, just in case she comes back. I’ll look for her.”

“Lauren, it’s too dark right now. It’s dangerous.” Hayley spoke up.

“Fuck it who cares. I have flashlight with me. Only look for me after the morning hits. Stay. Here.” She said before running off the forest. 

The first thing that came in her mind was foot print so she immediately started to flash the ground and glad when she saw some foot prints. While her left hand is flashing the light, her right hand is tightly holding her handgun. Whenever she heard some noises, she popped it up only to be faced with rabbits and squirrels. 

“Camila.” She called, half whispering.

“Camila, please come out. Don’t do this. Please.”

“I’m begging you, please.”

Her legs were tired from the walking, her hand was tired of flashing the light and her eyes were slowly getting blurry. She was about to turn back around when she heard a cry. She thought of how creepy it was but what worst could it be? They’re already in apocalypse. 

“Camila?” The crying stopped. Lauren flashed around until she saw the girl hunching down with her arms around her knees. She ran towards her, putting the gun and flashlight down and hugged Camila. She breathed in the girl’s scent to make sure she’s not hallucinating. She kissed the side of her neck. 

“God, you scared me. Why are you here, god dammit?” She pulled out, looking straight into her eyes. The girl was breathing heavily and her tears didn’t stop. 

“Hey hey. Hey, look at me. What’s wrong? What’s the matter?” She took out her leather jacket and wrapped it around the shaky girl. Camila shook her head, letting her fears fell again. Lauren cupped both of her cheek.

“Listen, hey. I’m here. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. You’re okay. I’m with you. I’ll never leave you. We’ll be okay. This is all temporary. Things will be better soon. Deep breath, baby.” She whispered and leaned in so close that they can feel each other’s breathing. “Deep breath.” She repeated few more times until Camila started to calm down a little bit.

When she stopped crying, Camila rested her forehead against Lauren’s. The older girl kissed the younger girl’s nose and smiled. She sat next to the girl and interlocked their fingers. 

“Can—can we stay he—here for a while?” Camila stuttered. 

“Of course.” 

Camila rested her head Lauren’s shoulder. 

“Nightmare?” Lauren asked and Camila nodded. 

“Why did you run away though? You could just hop on the trunk.” 

“Pa—panic attack.” Lauren nodded and kissed the girl’s head. 

“Can you sing something for me?” Camila asked, not looking up. 

Without hesitation Lauren did as requested. 

“Now it’s you and I, It’s you and me now; we drive through empty streets, in the summer night. As the sun comes up, we leave the city. Now when the lights just right, you're almost pretty.” She started her song. Camila closed her eyes, stroking Lauren’s arm with her free hand. “I wanna stay right here, here where the lights just right. For ever and ever.” She finished the song, looking down the girl and smiled when she saw the girl breathing normally again. 

“When will this all be over, Lauren? I couldn’t take it anymore.”

Lauren clenched her jaw, not wanting to lie but not wanting to tell the truth either. She used her free hand to play with the flashlight, trying to somehow get an answer. She then thought of the last movie they both watched together. They were in Camila’s room and the only light that was visible in the room was from the flashlight because of a blackout. They both decided to watch A Cinderella Story, a movie Camila saved on her laptop. Lauren thought of the movie and that one scene where Austin Ames asked Sam Montgomery when can they finally meet and how Sam answered with one simple word. So with no other choices, Lauren quoted her. 

“Soon.” 

And she hoped that answer will end well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, it's been awhile huh? Well, the semester will be over soon. In fact it'll be over next week. So instead of studying, I'm writing. I know the chapters are going slow but there are few chapters left. So stay with me guys! The song is Almost Pretty by The Perishers, it's a very pretty song. Go listen to it! Hope you like the chapter! Leave some comments to let me know what you think of the chapter and the song (if you decided to listen to it). Have a nice day/night!

**Author's Note:**

> I've never wrote story like this before so I'm quite nervous. Tell me how it goes and if you'd like me to continue. Also, I have no knowledge on guns and zombies. I made quick research. Sorry if they're not accurate. Grammar and spelling mistakes are all mine. Thank you and enjoy, I hope you guys like it. Any suggestions, just drop them here: thatsovanilla.tumblr.com I love reading your opinions/suggestions!


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